Running-gear



W. S. PROSKEY RUNNING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15, I914.

Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

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WINFIELD SCOTT PROSKEY, 0F RENO, NEVADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM DULLES, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IVINFIELD SCo'r'r Pnosxnv, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reno, in the county of \Vashoe and State of Nevada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Running- Gears for Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention which forms the subject of the present application relates to running gear. for vehicles, chiefly with the object of improving the riding qualities thereof. Tothis and other ends the invention consists in the novel features of construction and combinations of elements hereinafter described.

Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing. These are illustrated somewhat diagrammatically, no attempt being made to indicate with any degree of exactness the relative proportions of such parts as depend for their design upon the varying conditions of use. Matters of that kind are best left to the skill of the engineer or designer in applying the invention in practice.

eferring now to the drawing, Figure 1 shows in side elevation the preferred form of the invention, and Fig. 2 shows a modification of this form. Fig. 3 shows another embodiment.

Throughout the drawing, the part designated by 10 may be taken to represent part of the vehicle body, or its supporting frame, as for example one of the longitudmal sidemembers of a chassis. The body or frame is supported on each end of the axle (shown in section at 11) by means of a toggle-like construction consisting of two links 12, 13, extending toward the front and rear, respectively, and pivotally connected together at their inner ends through the medium of a fulcrum member 14. rigidly secured to the axle.

In Fig. 1 the outer ends of the toggle members 12, 13 are pivotally connected to the frame member 10 by vertical levers or links 15, 16, which are slotted vertically between their ends to receive the pins 17, 18 connecting them with the horizontal rods 19, 20. These latter are connected to suitable resilient or yielding devices, as for example the coil springs 21, 22, bearing at their inner ends on abutments 23, 24, fixed to the member 10, and at their outer ends Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

Application filed October 15, 1914. Serial No. 866,749.

on stop disks or plates 25, 26 on the rods 19, 20. These stops rest against nuts on the threaded ends of the rods, by which the tension of the springs can be regulated.

The abutments or stops 23, 21 are provided On the other hand, downward movement of the axle relative to the vehicle frame or body buckles the toggle against the tension of one or both of the springs 22. In each case the vertical movement of the axle is, through the medium of the toggle and the levers 15, 16, exerted on the springs in a horizontal direction longitudinally of the vehicle.

The construction in Fig. 2 differs but slightly from that shown in Fig. 1, the links or levers 15, 16?, in Fig. 2, being connected to the horizontal rods at the ends of the latter instead of at intermediate points. The operation is of course the same as in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3 the abutments 23, 2-1 are pivotally connected to the frame 10 instead of rigidly. For this purpose the abutments are carried by body members 27, which are pivoted on brackets 28, 29 depending from the frame 10. Moreover, the rods 19*, 20 corresponding to the rods 19, 20, in Fig. 1, are in line with and connected rigidly to the toggle links 12, 13,in fact form part of these links. The operation is essentially the same'as that of the structures illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. i

In Figs. 1 and 2 the toggle links are of the telescopic type to provide for such variation of length as may be necessary or desirable, the two parts of each link being adjustment is obtained by screwing the rods 19 20 in or out of the members 12, 13.

I prefer to have the toggles and springs arranged longitudinally of the vehicle, but the transverse arrangement is sometimes desirable. This condition can be illustrated by merely turning the drawing upside down, in which case the part 10 will represent the axle, with the wheel spindles omitted, while the part 11 will represent the vehicle body or a longitudinal element of the body frame.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the constructions herein specifically illustrated but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

I claim:

1. In a running gear, the combination with a vehicle body and an axle, of forwardly and rearwardly extending members pivotally connected at their inner ends to the axle and at their outer ends to links, said links being pivoted at their upper ends to the body, yielding means cooperating with the links and acting intermediate the pivots thereof for horizontal movement of the outer ends of said members, and means for varying the length of the forwardly and rearwardly extending members.

2. In a running gear, the combination with a vehicle body and an axle, of for wardly and rearwardly extending members pivotally connected at their inner ends to the axle, vertical links pivotally connecting the outer ends of the members to the body, means associated with the aforesaid IHQID' bers for adjusting the position of the axle with respect to the body, and yielding devices cooperating with the said links and acted to cushion or resist pivotal movement thereof.

In a running gear, the combination with a vehicle body and an axle; of toggle mechanism between the body and the axle, comprising longitudinally adjustable oppositely extending members pivotally connected together at their inner ends, and vertical links pivoted to the outer ends of the mem bers and the body; and yielding means cooperating with the links and acting intermediate the pivots thereof and adapted to cushion or resist pivotal movement thereof.

4. In a running gear, the combination with a vehicle body and an axle, of a telescopic toggle connected to the axle and extending forwardly and rearwardly therefrom, vertical links pivotally connected to the body and the front and rear ends of the toggle, and horizontally acting springs connected with the links intermediate the pivots thereof and adapted to cushion or resist forward and rearward pivotal movement ofthe links.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WINFIELD SCOTT PROSKEY. Witnesses M. Lawson DYER, S. S. DUNI-IAM.

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